Barbeque grills or cookers are popular for outdoor cooking and part of their popularity is due to the "outdoor taste" achieved by cooking on a barbeque grill. This "outdoor taste" is widely thought to be the result of cooking on charcoal. However, the "outdoor taste" can also be achieved on an electric grill by allowing the drippings from the meat to ignite and create flame and smoke. It is actually the burning of grease drippings that creates the "outdoor taste".
Some electric cooking grills are lined at the bottom with rocks, and the heating element is disposed immediately above the rocks. In this construction, the grease and other drippings from the food being cooked will strike the rocks, and because of their proximity to the heating element, the grease on the rocks will ignite creating flame and smoke to provide the "outdoor taste" for the meat. The problem with this type of grill is that the rocks are heavy and bulky and this system is susceptible to an unacceptable amount of flaming or flareup. The grease may accumulate in or on the rocks and, when the grease ignites, a sufficient flame will be created to burn the food.
The electric grill using rocks or similar material is attempting to emulate a charcoal grill in both appearance and function. However, it is also achieving all of the disadvantages of the charcoal grill and it is not taking full advantage of an electric heating element. The present invention does not attempt to emulate the charcoal appearance and, therefore, does not provide the heavy, bulky rocks.
In accordance with the present invention, an electric barbeque cooker includes a cooker bowl and a heating element dimensioned to fit within the bowl. Electric power is supplied to the heating element and it is mounted within the bowl for movement between a substantially horizontal position and a nonhorizontal position. In the preferred embodiment, the heating element may be rotated between a horizontal position, an inclined position, and at least one substantially vertical position. The bowl is dimensioned to contain the heating element when it is in both the horizontal and vertical positions.
An actuation mechanism is connected to the heating element for moving it between its various positions and a catch mechanism selectively holds the heating element in the selected position. In the preferred embodiment, the actuation mechanism is an adjusting rod that is operable to move the heating element within the bowl and is connected to a handle on the exterior of the bowl. By pivotally moving the handle on the exterior of the bowl, the adjusting rod moves the heating element to the desired position.
In order to achieve the desired heating and flame conditions, the present invention utilizes a reflector immediately beneath the heating element when it is in the horizontal position. In this construction, grease drippings from the food on a grill will fall on the heating element and on the reflector. Holes are provided in the reflector to drain off excess grease, and drippings that fall on a heating element or on the reflector near the heating element will ignite creating a flame and smoke.
In the preferred embodiment, a bracket is secured to the adjusting rod and both the heating element and the reflector are secured to the bracket. The bracket is designed with hooks that fit into apertures on the reflector in such a manner that the reflector may be easily removed from the bracket for washing. Preferably, the hooks will face upwardly when the reflector is in the vertical position and the reflector may be removed from the bracket by simply pulling it upwardly when it is in the vertical position.
The electrical connections for the heating element are provided in a housing that defines an enclosed space and portions of the heating elements are within the housing so that the heating element is operable to heat the interior of the housing. A power cord supplies power to the enclosed space within the housing, and a thermostat is mounted in the housing for being connected between the power cord and the heating element. The thermostat switches the power "on" and "off" to the heating unit in response to the temperature within the enclosed space of the housing. Since the heating element is providing heat for the interior of the housing, the thermostat is acting in response to the heat generated by the heating element. A knob on the housing is connected to the thermostat for adjusting the temperature at which the thermostat will switch "on" and "off".
Again, in the preferred embodiment, the handle that is used to adjust the position of the adjusting rod extends from and is part of the housing. The adjusting rod is bent and configured to extend from within the handle, through the housing, through the side of the bowl and across the bowl. By placing a portion of the adjusting rod in the handle itself, the adjusting rod may be rotated using the handle with very little stress being applied to the housing itself.
It will be appreciated that the above construction provides a versatile grill in which meat may be cooked on a grill above a horizontal heating element or on a rotisserie with the heating element positioned vertically along the rear wall of the cooker bowl. A vertical heating element virtually eliminates the possibility of a flare-up sufficient to burn the meat because the drippings fall on the relatively cool bottom of the cooker bowl, rather than on the heating element or reflector. It will also be appreciated that by providing a thermostat and all of the electrical connections in a housing that rotates with the heating element, there is no need for any flexing or sliding electrical contacts in order to provide an electrical connection between the thermostat and the heating element.